30.12.04

Life is.... III (see Sept. for I & II)

"Life would be perfect if sweatpants were sexy..monday morning's were fun..junkfood didn't make you fat..girls didn't cause drama..boys weren't so confusing..you always had the time to do what you wanted..nothing was regrettable..and goodbye only meant until tomorrow."

~ Anonymous (but found by mr. de grau)

26.12.04

30 seconds....

sometimes i wonder what's up with my youngest brother... he is the king of "out-there, random, whacko" humor! as we were standing in the kitchen he suddendly tells us that in 20 seconds we all need to laugh out loud for 30 seconds straight... so he looks at a stop clock, and when the "appointed time" came, he busts out laughing - loudly - uncontrolled - for 30 seconds straight, as my parents and i look at him with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and humor. he kept it up exactly for the 30 seconds and then totally stopped... i mean, the crazy thing is that you just can't help but laugh with someone who is so "out there...." he is soooooo crazy!!! so, now he just goes around, looks at me, and says "30 seconds".....

25.12.04

it's all in a name....

my word... if kids are as hard to name as a dog.... after the second day of discussing a name, we've finally decided on PANCHO. WElcome to the family, Pancho!
in a few months pancho is guaranteed not to fit under this table any more... his father is a dog of a 180 lbs!!

24.12.04

the newest member of the family.... yet to be named....

may the wonder never cease!

had a long drive "up-north" last night and loads of time to think about life... heard this song and was so struck by a sense of awe and wonder.... just think - this creator came to earth... my heart's desire is that i will never lose that sense of awe and worship! reckless abandonment!

indescribable ~ chris tomlin

from the hightest of heights
to the depths of the sea
creation's revealing your majesty
from the colors of fall
to the fragrance of spring
every creature unique
and the song that it sings
all exclaiming--

indescribable, uncontainable
you placed the stars in the sky
and you know them by name
you are amazing, GOD
all powerful, untamable
awestruck, we fall to our knees
as we humbly proclaim
you are amazing, GOD

who has told every lightning bolt
where it should go?
or seen heavenly storehouses
laden with snow?
who imagined the sun
and gives source to its light?
yet conceals it to bring us the
coolness of night
none can fathom....

indescribable, uncontainable
you placed the stars in the sky
and you know them by name
you are amazing, GOD
incomparable, unchangeable
and you see the depths of my heart
and you love me the same
you are amazing, GOD

23.12.04

dancing the night away...

22.12.04

snow flakes...

have you ever choked on a snowflake??

well, it can happen!!! i've become a believer!! walking across campus today to get the office mail and it was so cold outside that i inhaled too quickly and choked on a snowflake... ja!! it's true!!!

crazy stuff!!

21.12.04

coconut trees, goodbyes, and latin spice...

another change in season ~ another season of change... and it should be good, i think.

i usually like to think of myself as an optimistic person when it comes to dealing with change. yet, i also recognize that whenever i stand at the threshold of change, i have to take a big gulp (and perhaps force my feet a bit) in order to take that step of faith into the unknown. the only consistent known is the faithfulness and sovereignty of the lover of my soul. in him, my refuge i find.

and so, i marvel that change is a human experience. it comes with lonliness, sadness, pain, fear at times, but also with anticipation, excitement, joy, vulnerability, laughter, peace, faith, and hope.

and it should be good, i think.

i took my friend, dennis, to the airport this morning... he's 33 and he's flying to malaysia to climb a coconut tree to prove his love for a lady. change lies in the air...

i said goodbye to my friend, hannah, yesterday... she's moving down-south, once again, packing up, moving on, and wondering 'why now?' change lies in the air...

i said goodbye to my friend, christen, who leaves for greece for 3 months.... she wonders what the lord will do in those three months of her life and what she will come back to. change lies in the air...

i search my heart for an answer to the many questions stirred by a caballero de mexico. change lies in the air...

and it should be good, i think.

search me, o GOD, and know my heart;
try me and know my anxious thoughts;
and see if there be any hurtful way in me,
and lead me in the everlasting way.
ps. 139:23, 24

15.12.04

the spirit that loses itself in love

the kingdom of GOD belongs to children. certainly that does not mean that we should not be real men and women; the childlike spirit is not childish but rather unites itself with real manhood and real womanhood. it is the spirit of confident trust, of humility and endurance - the spirit that rejoices and loses itself in the object of its love and is released from self-contemplation. it gives itself completely, unaware of strain and sacrifice, and spends itself as though absorbed in play. it is the spirit of courage, for the true child - like the true man and woman - is never afraid or fearful. it is the answer to all our needs, for the childlike spirit comes from the holy spirit. let us believe that this spirit really exists and that we can receive it.

~eberhard arnold, 08/1933